Tokyo: An American gay man who married his Japanese partner in the US sued the Japanese government on Thursday, demanding it grant him long-term resident status. US national Andrew High and his Japanese partner Kohei reside together in Tokyo and are also seeking 11 million yen ($102,000) in damages in the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court, claiming the government repeated denial of a long-term visa has impinged on the couple’s freedom to live as a family, Kyodo News Agency reported. Long-term resident status, granted in consideration of special circumstances, has a maximum designated term of five years. According to the suit, the couple have been together for around 15 years and married in 2015 following the legalization of same-sex marriage by the US Supreme Court across all 50 states. (IANS)